Dolphins RB Jonas Gray has a Jonas brother

DAVIE – So there I am, talking to Dolphins running back Jonas Gray, and toward the end of the conversation I ask him about his name.

“It’s from the Bible,” he said.

His mother liked the name.

“My brother’s name is Corinthian,” he said, “so she got two names out of the Bible. It’s unique, but I like it.”

Then I casually mention the only other Jonas I know is Jonas Jerebko, the Swedish power forward who plays for the Detroit Pistons.

“He’s actually a good friend of mine,” Gray said.

Say what?!

It turns out Jonas Gray, who grew up in Detroit and attended Country Day High School, knows Joe Dumars, the Hall of Fame guard and Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations.

“I grew up with his son,” Gray said. “We’ve known each other since I was 7 or 8.”

And…

“I used to go to their practices all the time,” Jonas Gray said. “When I met Jonas (Jerebko) he said it was the first time he’d ever heard somebody with the American name, Jonas.

“When he came to play the Heat this year I hung out with him, we went out to dinner.”

I’m sure there are only a handful of people in the world who could truly appreciate (or care about) that nugget.

Now on to other stuff…

Grimes mystery solved

Every day cornerback Brent Grimes is in his usual spot during calisthenics – at the rear of the line, cradling a football.

But what’s the deal with the ball? No other player on the Dolphins does that.

“I just always play with the ball, throw it to myself, throw it to people,” he said. “It’s just a habit.”

Where does that come from?

“I’ve always done that unless the coach says, ‘Hey, you’ve got to put the ball away,’ ” Grimes said. “But if I can -- going back to college, little league football, whatever -- I always had the ball. I just like having the ball.”

Draft watch

It’ll be interesting to track the impact of the Dolphins’ nine draftees this season because right now, after kicker Caleb Sturgis and defensive end Dion Jordan, it might be a struggle to find a draftee who makes a major contribution.

Sturgis, the fifth-round pick from Florida, will be the No. 1 kicker, as expected. Veteran kicker Dan Carpenter was cut Wednesday. Sturgis will be a major contributor.

Jordan, the first-round selection and No. 3 pick of the draft, has missed three consecutive practices after aggravating his surgically-repaired shoulder during last week’s 27-3 victory over Jacksonville. The former Oregon standout will contribute, but likely not as a starter in the Sept. 8 season opener at Cleveland.

Regardless, he’ll be a major contributor.

After that, things are murky.

Cornerback Jamar Taylor, the second-round pick from Boise State, is still recovering from off-season hernia surgery. He hasn’t played in either of the two pre-season games and seems to be falling behind in a crowded cornerback picture.

Cornerback Will Davis, one of two third-round picks, is a backup cornerback. The former Utah State standout has made a name as a ballhawk but that crowded cornerback picture is filled mostly with veterans. Davis should play, but probably sparingly.

Tackle Dallas Thomas, also a third-round pick, stumbled in his outing against Dallas in the Hall of Fame game. The former Tennessee Volunteer has been a left guard, left tackle and right tackle so far in training camp. He doesn’t seem ready to contribute.

Tight end Dion Sims, the fourth-round pick from Michigan State, could see time from scrimmage but the he’s behind veterans Dustin Keller and Charles Clay. Linebacker Jelani Jenkins, the former Florida Gator who was the Dolphins’ first fourth-round pick, will have a greater struggle to see playing time.

Running back Mike Gillislee, the fifth-round pick aside from Sturgis, is fighting for a roster spot. The former Florida Gator is competing with Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, and Gray, primarily.

Safety Don Jones, the seventh-round pick from Arkansas State, is a longshot to make the roster.